On 3 and 4 September 2026, the WHO Country Office in Cyprus hosted a meeting with representatives from across the country’s health system, including the Ministry of Health, the National Centre for Clinical Evidence and Quality in Healthcare, the Health Insurance Organisation, and the Primary Health Directorate of the State Health Services Organisation. The WHO Office on Quality of Care and Patient Safety in Athens also took part. The meeting aimed to identify national priorities and opportunities to further improve the quality of care and patient safety.
The School of Medicine at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and the University’s Cyprus Branch contributed to the meeting through the MSc in Global Health – Disaster Medicine and the Research Institute for Humanitarian Medicine and Disaster Management. This work forms part of a strategic partnership with the WHO Country Office in Cyprus to strengthen preparedness for and response to health emergencies across the WHO European Region.
The School’s involvement reflects its role as an academic partner to WHO. It brings expertise, training and research to efforts to improve the quality, safety and resilience of health systems.
Professor of Surgery Emmanouil Pikoulis said: ‘Quality of care and patient safety are the foundations of any resilient health system. A system that delivers safe care every day is better prepared to respond to a crisis. Our School of Medicine works with the WHO Country Office, drawing on its academic expertise and research capacity to support the training of healthcare professionals and the work of the relevant authorities in Cyprus. Our aim is to enhance preparedness for health emergencies across the WHO European Region.’
